Cowboy Caviar is one recipe everyone raves about!
A fresh, simple dip that can be thrown together in under 15 minutes!
This Cowboy Caviar makes a great side dish for any picnic, potluck, or party, and is a great way to use up your summer produce!
I tried cowboy caviar for the first time at a potluck last summer and was instantly obsessed
I didn’t expect it from this unassuming, summery dip that at first glance I confused with chunky salsa or pico de gallo, but one bite and I knew that I was hooked for life.
The saltiness of the chips combined with the freshness of the tomatoes, the crispness of the pepper, the subtle heat of the jalapeno, the faint hint of lime and garlic…. It was heaven.
A replication of the highest order was necessary, and since that first fateful bite last year, I have perfected my own recipe for cowboy caviar and I am so excited to share it with you today.
I made this cowboy caviar for my family last weekend for Easter, and after baking both my signature carrot cake and coffee cake for brunch, I wanted something a little less sweet, and definitely something that wouldn’t require turning on the oven.
This cowboy caviar is easy to make, just a matter of chopping your veggies and tossing everything together.
If you ask me, the trick to the best possible cowboy caviar is to dice the ingredients that need dicing (the tomatoes, onion, pepper, etc — not the beans!) very small, the smaller the better. Try to keep your tomato and avocado pieces petite rather than big and chunky (about bean-sized works great!). An easy way to do this is with my favorite chopper, including for the tomatoes!
To easily cut my avocado, I like to slice it in half and then score it into small pieces using my knife, then just scoop everything out into the bowl with a large spoon!
Everyone who tried this cowboy caviar loved it and the bowl was scraped clean in record time.
P.S. As you can see in the pictures, I love serving these with tortilla chips, but cowboy caviar also tastes amazing eaten straight by the spoon!
Ingredients
- 3 Roma tomatoes seeds removed, diced
- 2 avocados diced
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- 1 (15 ounce) can canned black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 (15 ounce) can canned black eyed peas rinsed and drained
- 1½ cups frozen corn kernels thawed
- 1 bell pepper diced, any color
- 1 jalapeño seeds removed, finely diced
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Tortilla chips for serving
DRESSING
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Combine tomatoes, avocado, onion, black beans, black eyed peas, corn, pepper, jalapeno pepper, and cilantro in a large bowl. Toss/stir well so that ingredients are well-combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Pour dressing over other ingredients and stir/toss very well.
- Keep refrigerated. If not serving immediately, be sure to toss/stir well before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer
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Hi!
Quick question. How much is considered a serving?
Thank you!
Each serving would be approximately ¼ cup.
I love cowboy caviar but most say to use Italian dressing. Yours is unique by creating your own dressing and the use of avocado. I have never at it with avocado in it but I love avocado, so it’s a definite win even without trying it!
Loved this “Appetizer”/Side Dish. Served it last night at our Labor Day eve party.
Great hit, everyone loved it.
I thought it took longer than 20 minutes to prepare, but I cut everything up by hand without a slicer, and it was my first time making this delicious dish.
Will make often!!!
I assume this is freezeable? Kind of a statement and question in one.
While you can freeze leftovers, the fresh vegetables will change texture when defrosted. If you do have frozen leftovers they’re great added to soups and chilis as they’re simmering.
So fresh and delicious. So versatile as a side dish, dip, or topping. Definite keeper. Thank you for the recipe!
Quick and easy to make, and delicious too! I could not find any black-eyed peas so I substituted canned/rinsed lentils. My husband and I both agreed this is a keeper, especially for summer as you don’t need to heat up the kitchen with a hot stove. Hands down a five-star recipe! Thanks for sharing it.
Great Recipe!!
Absolutely delicious
Thank you
Luv it
Love this dip at New Year Day!
I’m adding bow tie pasta and shredded rotisserie chicken to make this a main dish! Fast and easy and perfect for leftovers!
This recipe is so easy to make and it’s absolute delicious! I keep ingredients on hand so I can make it any time.
I took this to a family gathering and now they asked me to bring it every single time so kudos to you
That is great Mary! So happy they loved it :)
Cowboy Caviar is a great recipe. It’s always a big hit at our parties as a dip or a side dish.
Love this recipe!! Thanks
You are very welcome Dolly!
Took more like 45 mins to chop everything but tastes awesome!
So glad you enjoyed it Jan!
Can I use drained diced tomato for the fresh?
I ment canned diced tomatoes for fresh.
While I haven’t tried that, it should work just fine in this recipe Sharon. Enjoy!
I love Cowboy Caviar, every time I make it everyone wants to eat it till it is gone. It is very refreshing, especially on a hot day. One time I didn’t have Black Eye Peas so I used 2 cans of Black Beans, was
still wonderful. My husband will eat Avocado only in Cowboy Caviar.
So happy to hear that Liz!
I went to a BBQ and someone brought this dish and it was amazingly delicious! The person who brought it added pomegranate which made it even sweeter and that much more divine. I really love this dish and will be making it more often.
Pomegranate sounds like a fantastic addition to the cowboy caviar! I am so glad that you enjoyed it Lucy!
My daughter is vegetarian but can not eat any kind of peppers. I know she would love the Cowboy Caviar but what can I sub for the peppers? I know spice wise I can sub for the jalapeños. I was thinking avocados and yellow and green zucchini.
Those sound like great substitutions Sherry! Let us know how it turns out.
Just curious about calorie/nutrition information. Is that per serving? Size of serving?
Hi Denise, the nutrition information is per serving. For this recipe that would be approximately ¼ of a cup.